I just got back from my first cruise and I was very impressed. I sailed on RCL Liberty of the seas. These are my overall impressions:
Embarkation- Thankfully we choose a cruise ship that left of out Ft Lauderdale. Getting to the port and on to the boat was so easy. My wife who has been on a handful of cruises before we married always left out of Miami and told me how awful that can be. We literally were on the boat within 30 minutes.
The Liberty- First let me say how big and beautiful the Liberty is. The crew works so hard to keep the boat clean and keep all the people happy! I have to say as a first time cruiser i was VERY overwhelmed, it really took a few days to get the lay of the land. The first day we spent time at the main pool, and the rest of the time we hung out at the adult pool. If its not a port day its important to get up early and grab prime chairs. I had to be out by the adult pool by 8 30 to save a chair. All the chairs were taken by 9 am!!!